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The Chase (episode)
Picard tries to finish his old archaeology teacher's monumental last mission. The origins of humanoid life are explained. See ancient humanoids. Summary Captain Picard recieves an unexpected visit from Richard Galen, a reclusive professor of his from Starfleet Academy. Galen gives the captain a rare archeological gift and encourages him to take a leave of absence from Starfleet to go on an expedition of vast importance to the galaxy. Picard mulls it over, but knows that he can never leave the ''Enterprise''-D. He informs Galen that he cannot go with him, and receives a bitter rebuke from his former teacher, who immediately leaves on a shuttlecraft for his next destination. Not long after, the Enterprise recieves a distress call from Galen's shuttle, as it is under attack. They barely retrieve the professor and destroy his attackers. Unfortunately, Galen dies in sickbay -- telling Picard with his last breath that his earlier rebuke had been too harsh -- and Picard abandons the ship's current diplomatic timeline to follow the clues listed in Galen's database. After mulling over the data, stumped, they finally realize that his course had taken him through a star system with no current inhabitants, but with a planet capable of sustaining life. When they arrive, they find the planet's atmosphere being destroyed, killing all life on the planet. They have one other clue, and proceed to yet another star system where they are confronted by two Cardassian warships, prepared to attack in order to protect the planet for only their scientific mission. Immediately, a Klingon battle cruiser decloaks, making the situation all the more tense. Picard decides to invite the commanding officers of each vessel to the Enterprise to discuss the situation. He plays his cards, relating that the Enterprise crew has determined that Galen's research leads them to believe that a computer program has been written and scattered throughout the galaxy, being stored in the genetic code of organisms on certain planets. An uneasy truce is forged between the three powers so as to share the data the three factions contain. However, chief engineer La Forge discovers that the Enterprise's defensive systems have been tampered with--rightfully anticipating deception on the part of the Cardassians, Picard and Klingon captain Nu'Daq decide to tamper with their data a bit prior to the meeting. All three factions meet on the Enterprise to view the star chart inferred by the data points. Immediately, Gul Ocett transports off of the Enterprise and begins firing on both the Klingon vessel and the Enterprise. Both victims make a good show of it, and then head to the proper coordinates. Once at the final planet, they transport to the surface to take tricorder measurements of lichen growing in an ancient seabed.Suddenly, the Romulans appear, insisting that everyone leave the premises. Covertly, the away team takes readings of the lichen, and find their tricorder reconfigured to display a holographic image of a humanoid, explaining that her civilization existed in the galaxy alone, thousands of lonely years before any of the others developed. As such, they spread their genetic material to other planets, in the hopes of creating a rich ecosystem of Humanoids who could fulfill the joys of finding and integrating with alien cultures that these first beings never had. Most parties seem disgusted at the thought of a common progenitor. Back onboard the Enterprise, Picard receives an unexpected message from the Romulan captain, who carefully chooses his words and suggests by his approach that Humans and Romulans are not so different after all. "Perhaps...one day..." Memorable Quotes "You're wondering who we are; why we have done this; how it has come that I stand before you - the image of a being from so long ago. Life evolved on my planet before all others in this part of the galaxy. We left our world, explored the stars and found none like ourselves. Our civilization thrived for ages, but what is the life of one race, compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time? "''We knew that one day we would be gone, and nothing of us would survive - so we left you. Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds, where life was in its infancy. The seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours: this body you see before you, which is of course shaped as yours is shaped, for you are the end result. The seed codes also contain this message, which is scattered in fragments on many different worlds. "''It was our hope that you would have to come together in fellowship and companionship to hear this message, and if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled. You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish - that you too would know life and would keep alive our memory. There is something of us in each of you, and so, something of you in each other. Remember us." : - the ancient humanoid, explaining that the Humans, Romulans, Klingons, and Cardassians possess a mutual ancestor. Background Information *Salome Jens would later go on to play the recurring role of the Female Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. John Cothran, Jr. goes on to play Telok in DS9: "Crossover" and Gralik Durr in ENT: "The Shipment". * This episode is the first to mention one of Deep Space 9's sister deep space stations, in this case Deep Space 4. Links and References Guest Stars *Salome Jens as ancient humanoid *John Cothran, Jr. as Nu'Daq *Maurice Roeves as Romulan Captain *Linda Thorson as Gul Ocett *Norman Lloyd as Richard Galen References Al-Leyan; Atalia VII; B'aht Qul challenge; Caere; Deep Space 4; IKS Maht-H'a; Indri VIII; Indri system; Kurl; Kurlan; [[Kurlan naiskos|Kurlan naiskos]]; Kurlan system; Loren III; Loren system; M'Tell; Macchiato; Master of Tarquin Hill; medical tricorder; Jean-Luc Picard; Rahm-Izad; Rahm-Izad system; Ruah IV; Ruah system; Satarran; Heinrich Schliemann; Sothis III; Troy; type-7 shuttlecraft; Vilmor II; Vilmoran system; Volterra Nebula; Vulcan transport; Ya'Seem; Yash-El; Yridians; Yridian vessel. Chase, The de:Das fehlende Fragment nl:The Chase